Anime may be dominated by science fiction and fantasy but that doesn't mean they are no successful series in other specialized genres. FIGHTING SPIRIT (HAJIME NO IPPO also called THE FIRST STEP) is a sports anime that adds a healthy dose of comedy to the formula of the sports genre (stressing the value of hard work tenacity always remaining hopeful in the face of adversity etc.). Magunochi Ippo is teenager who consistently gets picked on because he has to help out with his family's fishing business. But one day he meets a boxer Takamura who takes Ippo under his wing and teaches him to defend himself and sets him on the road to becoming a championship fighter. FIGHTING SPIRIT is directed by Satoshi Nishimura who also helmed the popular series TRIGUN. TEST OF ENDURANCE is the third volume collecting the series and chronicles Ippo's continued quest for a title.